Light

He peered from behind one of the arches marble pillars. The sound of tinkling glasses and polite laughter echoed faintly across the large stretches of grass and topiary lined walkways. The air was cool and clear, a welcome break from the thickly perfumed hall overflowing with candles, wine and many a disdainful eye. He darted from the archway and into the twisted shadows the hedges cast across the gravel.

He did not want to be seen.

The sky was getting lighter, the first sun rays breaking over the eerie labyrinth the night had turned the gardens into. He quickened his footsteps, careful not to scuff his feet on the pebbles. Down numerous pathways he went, stumbling upon alcoves and a number of statues and fountains. Normally, he would have stopped to admire these features but now he hastily retraced his footsteps.

Quite suddenly, he came across her. Taking a few steps back into a rose bush he parted the foliage and gazed across the lawn.

The fabric once a flowing mass of violet now hung in tatters round her legs. Her feet were bare and grassy, her toenails marked with earth from the garden. Defeated and worn her fingers laced her upper arm, the only consolation she had in the empty space in which she had collapsed. Her hair had come undone, wispy brown strands trailing down the nape of her neck which was beaded in sweat. She made no noise. Surely she must be crying.

She hurried down the gravel path, leaving the meaningless drivel behind her. As she ran between the bushes she trailed her fingers through the dark foliage which twisted and turned through the crisp air. She did not know where she was going, but she did not care. Breathing in deep lungfuls of air she laughed as she whipped around corners and tip toed on the stone edge of the fountain. Plucking a lone flower which had evaded the hedge trimmers, she climbed up on to a statue and placed it behind the cold mans ear. Kissing his cheek before sliding on to the ground she took her shoes off, and, throwing them to the side, she closed her eyes and paused to breath in the earthy smell of life.

Digging her heels into the soil she scrunched up her toes, the cool earth soothing her blistered feet, and through her eyelids saw the first rays of the morning climbing into the deep blue sky.

Breathing in deep lungfuls of air she laughed, running through a small alcove and onto an empty stretch of grass. Tripping over her own feet she fell onto the palms of her hands, and instead of looking at the grazes she dug her fingers into the earth before wiping them on her once violet dress.

As she looked upwards she saw dawn break across the sky. The soft orange glow caressed her face spreading warmth across her cheeks and bare shoulders. Sitting on the damp grass in the silence of the early morning, she stared out over the clouds as they gradually changed colour. Hugging herself closely, she paid no heed to her dress or hair as she sat smiling in front of the sun.

A moment of solitude.

Her eyes brimmed with tears, blurring the sunrise into a kaleidoscope of colours and her smile widened. Here and now, she was free.